“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you,
pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I was fourteen years old, the head of the math department (who also happened to be my Mother’s best friend and the deputy vice-principal of my school), took my Mom aside and told her that I was going to fail high school math.

Admittedly it was true that math was my least favorite subject. It was also true that my otherwise excellent report card took a nose dive in the math section. And finally, it was also true that my shaky math skills weren’t exactly enhanced when my previous math teacher had had a nervous breakdown because our class of private school girls, was so unruly.

My mother and father shared this piece of vital information with me one night before going to bed, brows furrowed, hands wringing.

I was indignant. “How dare she say I will FAIL math?” I recall saying “How would she even know, she can’t predict the future.”

Actually she could. And without realizing it she did me a great favor.

I’d like to say that I chose to up my math game for the right and honorable reasons of simply wanting to do better. But that would be a flat-out lie.

The truth is I was madder than a wet flea that anyone, let alone a close family friend, would predict that I would fail at anything. As you probably already guessed, making a statement like that to me was like waving a red flag at a bull.

“I’ll show her,” I recall thinking (cue Rocky soundtrack…)

I put a band-aid on my bruised ego, rolled up my sleeves, got myself a math tutor, started studying in the mornings before school and was so resolute at proving the prediction wrong I ended up taking both math subjects, Calculus and Statistics throughout high school.
None of it was fun, but those words burned in my ears anytime I felt like giving up.

Finally, four years after the prediction and much to the astonishment of my parents, my teachers and the vice-principal, I did somehow manage to graduate with an A in both math subjects.

However, without that swift kick in the rear I would never have accomplished what I did in the math department.

Does all that advanced math study help me today as a Marketing Consultant or President of an Ad Agency? Not one bit.

But, it did teach me some important life-lessons:

1. If you want to ensure that I’ll succeed, just tell me that it isn’t possible;

2. Diamonds are only made under pressure. Meaning we don’t actually know what we’re capable of until we’re in a tight spot. Without pressure, there’s no diamonds. Only lumps of coal.

For me, last year felt like we were living in a pressure cooker. Every day we faced new challenges, new problems to solve for our clients. And the pace was relentless.

At times our agency’s marketing strategies helped make diamonds - like the total rebrand of a 100 year old business that resulted in monthly sales three times higher than pre-rebrand.

Or the software franchise that we’d built a marketing engine for three years earlier who got bought out by their biggest competitor last year - because their marketing couldn’t compete.

At other times, frustratingly, some of our marketing strategies remained lumps of coal. For example when Facebook inexplicably halted a $150,000 advertising campaign for a product launch, claiming it breached its advertising policies because it promoted alcohol (it didn’t), or promoted objectionable material (if you call a new celebrity designer clothing line objectionable then - okaaay).

That’s why you need a robust Marketing Plan. So that when the unexpected happens, as it always will, you’re well prepared, with multiple irons in the fire and can pivot without faltering.

Honestly, there are very few marketing plans that are robust. Most are an exercise in wasted time, ink and paper.

Next week I’ll share with you our own Client Stampede Marketing Plan Template. While no two businesses are alike, this Marketing Plan serves as a solid foundation for every business, no matter your industry. We use it as the cornerstone of the Business Transformation Consult to clear the fog for a new client and create a game plan for the 12 months ahead.

The reason I didn’t give it to you this week is because there’s some key strategic planning that needs to be done beforehand.

I call it The Power Of Three Strategic Planning Tool:

1. What are the top three goals you want to have achieved by Dec 31?

2. What are the top three obstacles standing in the way of you achieving your goals?

3. What are the top three things you can do to remove those three obstacles and clear the way to you achieving your goals?

Remember, diamonds are made under pressure. George Elliot said it perfectly - “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”